


Fake it 'til you mate it

by PrincessOfMalec (Treasure7)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Destiel - Freeform, Fluff, Mates, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Knotting, Sabriel - Freeform, Wing Grooming, Wing Kink, fake mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-01 04:56:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5193113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treasure7/pseuds/PrincessOfMalec
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*On hiatus, I don't know for how long and I'm so sorry!*</p><p>Imagine Gabriel coming back and, after Castiel badgering him about it, takes over charge of heaven. Everything is going just peachy, until the day that the other Angels decide that their leader needs to be mated. Gabriel panics, because he does not want to be mated to one of those douche bags, but Castiel just might have the solution to solve the problem...</p><p>*Rating is for later chapters, there will be smut (so much smut), fighting and maybe even some minor character deaths*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Will you fake mate me, please?

**Author's Note:**

> This was an idea/prompt that I came up with whilst walking my dog (walks really are great for inspiration, aren't they?) and so I told it to "the dicklings" and they urged me to write a fic, so here that fic is! It'll be multi chaptered and I will try (although I can't promise anything due to my work-schedule) to update once a week.

**Prologue _(sort of, short recap of what’s been going on anyway)_**  
  
After Gabriel comes back the angels were in somewhat a euphoria about having an archangel to lead them, finally. Gabriel was practically forced to go back to heaven, since it was such a mess and Cas practically begged him to please help him get the angels in fucking line! Thing is… after a couple of months of working in heaven and at the same time trying to help the winchesters (actually he’d just wanted to spend time with Sam, he found the hunter so utterly interesting and he kind of had this intense need to make him smile just so that he could see those dimples again), the angels decided that if he’s going to rule heaven, he needs to take a mate. Gabriel freaked out a little over that, because HELL TO THE NO on the commitment-shit and definitely not with another angel. NO THANK YOU! Regardless of his extreme reluctance of mating an angel, the offers kept raining in. He had received offerings both left and right, basically every unmated angel in heaven except for Castiel were showing off their feathers and doing right out filthy things to get his attention and get him to choose them. _  
_

 

After a particularly forward try to gain his affection, Gabriel went to Cas to complain. He’d asked the other angel about what he could do to stop all this, he really didn’t want to mate with any of the angels regardless of what they did, because he KNEW they’d start demanding things of him. He’d asked for Castiel’s advice on the matter, to which the younger angel had answered: ”Well… It doesn’t have to be an angel you mate, you know. I’m not planning on mating any angel”. Gabriel had just rolled his eyes and answered:

”Cas… everybody knows who you have in mind. Well… everybody but the man himself that is! You should really tell him about that by the way! How does _you_ not mating with an angel help _me_!? I mean it’s not like I have anyone on earth either… I just.. I don’t know.. I need to talk to Sam… I’ll speak to you later”

To which Cas had just rolled his eyes and sighed. Because, Gabe thought him and Dean were oblivious? Really? When every time Gabriel would be the slightest bit upset or need advice or just want to hang out with someone, he’d go directly to Sam… Yeah, Castiel and Dean were the oblivious ones, sure!

 

*******

 

Sam hears the familiar flutter of wings that signals Gabe’s arrival and without even looking up from the book he’s currently reading he greets him:

”Hey, you staying for dinner tonight? Dean’s out on something, I forgot what it was, but I was thinking about ordering Pizza if you want?”

Gabe just smiles, because this is why he loves coming to see Sam, everything is just so uncomplicated between them, and says:

”I’ll have the usual then. You sure you don’t want me to just conjure it up for us instead?”

He knows before it even happens that Sam will shake his head in denial, knows that Sam likes to pretend they have a normal life at least once in awhile. And that means that the pizza is ordered by the phone and delivered 20 minutes later by a scrawny pizza-boy who makes far less than what he probably should.

 

After ordering the pizzas, Sam finally looks up at Gabe. Then he does this thing, which he always seem to do and Gabriel never has quite figured out how he does it, where he just manages to read Gabriel completely and tell that something is wrong.

”What’s going on in heaven that’s got you so wrung out?” he asks, to which Gabriel just chuckles, because _see_! There he went and did it again. Then he lets the smile fade from his features and answers:

”The angels wants me to take a mate. Not so much wants as demands, actually. I just… I don’t want to take any of them as my mate, you know? I just… I can’t see myself attached for all eternity to one of those, let’s face it Dean is right, feathery douchebags. I _know_ that they’ll try to control me and most likely forbid me from seeing you guys and because they’re my mate and all, I’ll want to do whatever they ask.”

At first, Sam almost looked a little panicked and slightly hurt, as if he didn’t quite like the idea of Gabriel mating. But when he finishes, there’s an almost disgusted frown marring his features.

” Aren’t mates supposed to be like… Partners in everything or whatever? Like soul mates? Standing up for each other, supporting each other and loving each other regardless of what might happen? How can they force you to feel something like that for someone you don’t even really know? How is that even possible? Is heaven like still in the 15th century or something?”

Gabriel, can’t help but laugh a little at that.

”You’ve been reading up on angel mating Samsquash?”, he asks and winks at the other man.

Sam feels a blush starting to cover his cheeks as he replies with:

”Well… yeah.. I was curious, you know.”  
  
Before Gabe can say anything more, Cas flies into the room with a very disgruntled and panicked Dean trying, and failing, desperately to stop him before he can say:  
”I have the perfect solution to you problem Gabe”  
Dean just sags behind him as he continues explaining his idea, because he knows he’s lost this one and his brother will go ahead and do it because he’s GONE on the archangel for some reason that Dean really can not for the life of him understand.

”You need to fake a mate! More specifically, because we do not want to involve anyone more than we have to, you need to fake Sam being your mate!”  
  
At first, Gabriel lights up, because why didn’t he think of that earlier? That is perfect! But then he realizes that Sam has gone completely quiet and even though it wouldn’t be like a real mating or anything, he’s still worried about the fact that Sam may not even want him. It’s crazy, of course, and he knows that. Because although he really likes Sam, gets small goosebumps wherever he’d touch him and the hunter makes him feel safe and calm … well… like he belongs, he still hasn’t really thought of Sam in that way. It’s just… now that he does let the thought in it kind of wants to stay there. There really is no reason why Sam wouldn’t be the perfect choice for anyone’s mate. And there’s some part of Gabriel that just really want’s Sam to view him as a good choice for a mate too, but he can’t help but feel like that just isn’t going to happen.

So he stands there, mentally listing all the reasons Sam would make a perfect mate and at the same time grows increasingly depressed over the fact that Sam most likely will say no, when there’s a voice breaking through his thoughts:

”Okay, I’ll do it. ” Sam says, and Gabriel rushes to clench the flicker of hope that flairs inside of him at that. He turns to Sam and stares at him for a full minute before bursting out:

”What did you just say?”

Because honestly, even though he’s trying to keep his hopes down about this, he’s still kind of amazed that the man actually agreed and he needs to have it confirmed that he’s not going insane.

”I said: I will be your mate. Or well, Fake-mate, I guess” he adds the last part in a small whisper. But it doesn’t matter, ’cause all Gabriel hears is ”I will be your mate” and dammit if his grace doesn’t sing at that. _How the hell did he not notice these feelings he obviously had for the hunter, earlier? How did he **miss** this!?_

 

Sam couldn’t help but study Gabriel’s face as he spoke the words, seeing as he went from kind of gloomy to shocked to happy to expressionless in under a second. The hunter couldn’t help but let a small smile play at his face, because, well, the other man was just so damn adorable!

“You mean that?”, the angel said, looking up at him with something that looked a bit like… was that hope? That realization almost had Sam stepping back a few steps, because what the hell? Why would Gabriel look hopeful over being with him, of all people? Gabriel could have anyone he wanted, as the matter of fact he _did_ have several someones fighting for him at that very moment. All of them more worthy of the archangel than Sam, the boy with the demon blood, was.

He studied Gabriel, losing himself in the flicker of his eyes, the small raise of his eyebrows as he waited for Sam to answer his question. Sam could just look at him forever, never tire of categorizing all of the different expressions he had.

Suddenly the small smile that had been playing on his lips, God those lips were just the most kissable Sam had ever seen, was replaced by a disappointed and slightly defeated look and Sam realised that he’d been so lost in studying him that he’d forgotten to answer the question. As Gabriel started to turn away to most likely fly away to some place where Sam couldn’t follow, he stood up to grab a hold of the Angel’s arm.

“Hey!”, he started, waiting for the other man to look up at him. When he finally did, Sam gave him a small and reassuring smile, and couldn’t stop a blush rising on his cheeks as he spoke:

“Of course I’m sure! Like I would let you go with someone else. I mean Dean isn’t going to offer himself up, we both know Cas would never allow that, and the others up there would NEVER believe that you and him were in a relationship. They don’t know me, so they might believe that you’d want me, right? That could at least be a possibility?” as he mentioned the two other people in their little team, Sam made a quick check to see that they had left the room again. He didn’t mention the fact that they would probably never accept him up in heaven, him being an abomination and all, because Gabriel seemed so relieved at his words and Sam didn’t want to ruin that for him.

The Angel locked eyes with him and spoke in a more serious tone than Sam had ever heard him use before.

“Thank you Sam, really. Although before you make your decision I really feel like we need to go through what exactly will be expected of you as the mate of an Archangel. It’s not exactly the same as for the other angels, you know… I feel like maybe you should read up on what your role will entail before you decide if you want to play it or not?” Gabriel sounded so unsure, and kind of convinced that that little piece of information would have Sam running the other way, that he couldn't help but take the smaller man’s hand in his.

“I’m not going to run away, Gabe”, he said and couldn’t help but smile at the hopeful expression on the angel’s face. Yeah, Sam wasn’t going to run away. He wanted this. Now he just had to make sure that Gabriel never realised just how much he wanted it, because that would probably lead to him breaking the whole thing off and maybe even mate with another angel. The hunter couldn’t help but give a shudder at that thought.


	2. How to mate an archangel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam seeks out help in his research on angel mating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm just going to change the update schedule to two weeks instead of one, since work has been a bit shit lately and I seem to have issues keeping to the once a week-deadline. Sorry! Maybe it'll change in later chapters!
> 
> I would like to take a little second and thank everyone who has taken their time and read and enjoyed this fic so far! It means a lot, so thank you so much!
> 
> Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you thought!

After Gabe told him that mating with an Archangel was different from mating with any other angel, Sam dove head first into research. He spent hours and hours going through all books on angel-mating rituals that he could find. But, since there was only so much information humans had on the subject, there still wasn’t a lot for him to go on. After he closed the last book and still wasn’t any wiser about what Gabriel had meant about archangel-mating being different, Sam decided that he needed to ask the one person who might help him understand without making a big fuss about it. He sighed as he pushed away the book and closed his eyes in prayer:

“Hanna, you listening? I need your help explaining something. I know you’re probably busy helping Gabe and Cas up there, but if you could just spare a few minutes and come down here, I would really appreciate the help”.

A couple of seconds later there was a small flutter of wings behind him, not quite as distinctive as when Gabriel came to visit him but Sam could still clearly hear the sound. He opened his eyes and turned around, a small smile playing on his lips

“I do not understand what it is you need my help with that Gabriel and Castiel would not be able to answer?” Hanna stated in her always straight to business and stoic voice. Sam kicked out the chair in front of him and made a motion for her to sit down. When she failed in understanding his intentions, only tilting her head in that confused manner that Sam and Dean had dubbed the “angel-tilt”, he sighed and began explaining why he’d called her down.

“I needed to ask you about something” he looked away for a minute, a bit flushed at what he’d be talking to the angel about, and continued.

“Angel mating, actually.”

At this, the woman in front of him seemed to have issues keeping her eyes in her head and seemed to be extremely scandalized by Sam’s line of questioning, most likely thinking that he as a human had no business knowing the details of such intimate angel tradition. Sam decided to just ignore her and keep going. He needed this information or there might not be any fake-mating happening between him and Gabriel.

 

“I need you to explain to me the difference between mating an ‘ordinary’ angel, if you will, and mating an archangel.” He finished off and let the question sink in a few seconds before clearing his throat to get Hanna back from whatever universe his words had sent her whilst staring at him. She shook her head, seemingly trying to find the correct words to say and placed both her hands on her hips before answering him:

“I am not sure how that is any of your business, Samuel Winchester. Mating is a very intimate and private thing between two angels. It is not for humans to know of. If you feel curious for your human scientific reasons I would suggest you speak to Gabriel, as he is actually an Archangel and he appears to have a soft spot for you. I am not an archangel nor do I hold any soft spots for you, and therefore I will not disclose the details of that tradition to you.”

She was about to take off again, huffing about Sam being one of the rudest beings she had ever met, so Sam leaped out of his chair to stop her, grabbing a hold of her arm. He pretty quickly figured that he’d be forced to reveal at least some of the plan to her if he wanted her help on this, so he went in for the kill.

“Ehm… Well… An angel sort of asked me to mate with him and told me to look up all the facts before I said yes, and I couldn’t find anything in the books and so I figured I’d call the only angel besides him that I figured would know a little something about it”

 

Mentioning that Gabriel propositioned him should not make his belly flutter and heat spread on his cheeks, especially since it was technically Cas who had made the proposition, but it did. Sam was not ashamed to admit that he had developed feelings for the archangel in the last few months, the man was both gorgeous and had the ability to make Sam smile just by being in the room, feelings that might not be all that well suited for the mission he was up for but that he could not shut down even if he wanted to. And Sam didn’t want to, even if it meant getting his heart ripped out, because for the time being it actually made him feel good and he wasn’t quite ready to let go of that feeling yet.

The angel seemed a bit shocked about his words, which Sam could understand since he was the boy with the demon blood and Lucifer’s true vessel and all that, but then she seemed to regard his words and suddenly the look on her face wasn’t so much shocked anymore.

“This is just typical of Gabriel. Picking a human when he’s got all of heaven seeking his attention.” She sighed, as if she was dealing with a defiant child, released her arm from where Sam was still holding on to it and walked towards the chair to sit down. Sam sat back down and prepared to listen to what she was about to tell him.

“The best person to ask about the specifics of mating with an archangel would, of course, be an archangel. But, since there is a definite lack to those these days, I am glad you decided to come to me. Not because the other angels wouldn’t know this information, all angels are very well informed of the different mating-rituals in angel-hierarchy, more because any other angel would most likely view you as an easy target to take down in the competition for Gabriel’s affection that is currently underway up in heaven and would therefore try to kill you.” She looked pointedly at Sam, and he understood that this was a warning. He would be challenged as soon as the news reached heaven. The hunter swallowed hard and nodded for Hanna to continue.

“I am sure Gabriel will be able to explain the tradition on challenges at a later date. He probably did not want to explain the courting and mating-process out of fear for your reaction.” It sounded almost as if she was speaking more to herself than to Sam when she continued, and Sam wondered if maybe mating was something Hanna herself had dreamed about for a long time.

“Mating for angels is… I guess you could compare it to the human act of marriage, if I have understood that act correctly, only a mating-bond can never be broken. If one of the mates were to die, the other would follow not soon after.” she held her hand up when Sam opened his mouth to question that fact, since he was mortal and Gabriel was… well, not.

“This means that, if one of the mates is mortal they will become what is called a nephilim. Half angel and half human. This is not only required to prevent the angel from dying of old age, but to help the mortal mate give birth to any fledglings the pair might have. Now, before you start to worry about being with child, the possibility to bare a child is not always given when the pair mates. Fledglings has thus far only been carried by female mates, but that does not mean that male mates will not receive the organs needed for this. If you were to receive these organs, you would be called an omega nephilim. But, as I said, that is highly unlikely. It is still a possibility you need to consider, though.”  
Sam relaxed some at her words, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure about the whole pregnant-thing, mostly because he was a man and the thought had never, not once, entered his head. He _had_  always wanted kids though, and he couldn’t help but imagine miniatures of him and Gabe running around the bunker, laughing as Gabe lifted them up and blew raspberries on their chubby little stomachs.

 

He shook himself out of the mental image that formed in his head.

 _Fake mating, Sam. Not real. Fake_.

 

Hanna seemed to watch his reaction and didn’t continue her speech until Sam had returned from his little daydream.

“The whole courting-ritual is not unlike the old rituals of humans. Gabriel, as he is the leader of heaven he will also be the alpha of the union between the two of you, will be expected to “woo” you, for a lack of a better human term. He will be expected to prove to you just how capable he is of taking care of you and any potential family the two of you might have. During the courting-process, which will last until you both decide to mate, every angel in heaven will be watching your every move. This isn’t what usually happens, but as the interest of Gabriel’s mating is so great, everyone will be on high alert in making sure you are a worthy mate. Or, more likely, making sure to catch any slip-up you might do so that they can swoop in and take your place as Gabriel’s mate. You will both be expected to stay faithful to the other from the second the courtship is initiated. Think of it as going into a relationship with Gabriel, only you will not be allowed to be intimate, unless you enjoy all of heaven watching you be intimate of course, until you complete the mating bond.”

 

Sam kept nodding at everything she said, taking small notes in his note-pad. He couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy about the whole “watching your every move”-bit, but kept his mouth shut and made a mental note to ask Gabe about how long they would be forced to hold up the ruse and how on earth they were going to fake the actual mating, if every angel in heaven would want to watch. As if hearing his thoughts, Hanna chuckled and continued.

“Nobody will be watching the actual mating, I am sure Gabriel will prevent that. He may not seem like it, but he is a very private man when it comes to intimacy.”

The hunter relaxed at that and gave her a small smile accompanied with a wave of his hand for her to continue.

 

“Your part of the courting-process is to prove to Gabriel, and in this case all of heaven, why you make a good choice. You will be tested by the other angels, who will challenge your strength, loyalty and capability to protect any future offspring from harm. The last one will be especially important, with consideration to your occupation as a hunter. You will most likely be forced to stake your claim on Gabriel on multiple occasions, as there will be angels who will try to cut through the courting-process and steal your angel. You need to understand just how desirable of a mate Gabriel is in the angel-community, and how important it is that you show both him and other angels just how much you want him to mate with you. The “wooing” will not only be required from Gabriel’s side, you need to keep him interested in you. If he finds another, more desirable, potential mate then he has every right to break the courtship and choose to mate with them instead.”

 

Sam couldn’t help the small growl that slipped out of his throat at the thought of Gabe mating someone who wasn’t him. He couldn’t help but blush as Hanna laughed at his response.

 

“That’s exactly the type of response I was looking for. I think you will be just fine. Besides, if Gabriel already asked you, then the courting-process should not be that long and what he really wanted you to educate yourself on was the final act of completing the bond. The grooming of his wings and, finally, the knotting.”

 

Sam almost choke on his own tongue at that.

 

“The _what_ now?” he asked in a squeaky voice. Surely she couldn’t mean what he thought she meant, right? Because there was _no way_  that was even possible. Sam was just not built for that. Nope. No way.

 

“The knotting” Hanna stated with a blank face, as if it was a completely natural thing to bring up whilst discussing someone’s sex life. Well, Sam assumed it _was_  for her.

“When the mates consummate the mating and complete the bond, they will each leave a mark on the other as a statement to the rest of the angel-community. When these marks have been made, the bond will be complete and you will be able to hear each other's thoughts and feel what the other is feeling. You will be one. The sensation of this bond is strong enough that a knot will form at the end of the Angel’s, in this case Gabriel’s, penis, or cock as I hear is the more common term amongst humans. The knot will then be lodged into the angel’s mate to ensure the sperm stays inside them and thereby improve the odds of the other bearing a fledgling. After the mating, the knot can be held back during intercourse if the angel is in enough control to do so, though mating with an Archangel you need to know that their instinct to knot and bring forward the angel-lineage is stronger than with other angels. Therefore Gabriel will most likely knot you most times you are intimate. Most couples reach their climaxes as the knot catches on. I am told it is a very pleasurable experience”

 

Hanna’s frown as Sam began chuckling and hiding his now read face really shouldn’t be as funny to Sam as it was. But here he was, giggling like a little schoolgirl at an angel explaining to him in detail how Gabriel was apparently going to shove some tennis ball-sized thing up his ass, and that he was going to enjoy it. The hunter highly doubted that. But maybe Gabriel could use some of his mojo to make it hurt less than it normally would? Yeah, he’d probably do that.

 

 _FAKE mating, Sam. Not real. Fake. You won’t need to worry about any knot, because Gabriel would never actually mate with you,_ he had to remind himself, yet again.

The reminder schooled his features and he gave Hanna an apologetic smile.

 

“What about the grooming? You mentioned something about grooming Gabriel’s wings?” he asked and Hanna seemed quite relieved to leave the subject for something, if not entirely safe then at the very least safer.

“Yes. An angel’s wings are very private and personal. An archangel’s wings differ from the rest of us, as they have six wings instead of two. Only mates and very close family is allowed to touch an angel’s wings. Since Gabriel has been away from other angels for so long, I doubt he’d let anyone touch his wings but his mate. Before the consummation, you will groom his wings and make sure they look their absolute best. Now, understand that an angel’s wings are very sensitive and many times a grooming from their mate will lead to the angel becoming extremely aroused, which is why it is done as a form of foreplay, as you humans call it, before the knotting.

During the grooming the angel will produce oil from his wing glands, which he will then use to ready you for his knot. Angels are very sensitive to any smell other than their own being on you during the mating-ritual and thus no artificial lubricant will be used. I would also strongly recommend you stop using any artificial scent you might use at the moment during this process. You will not be able to smell it, but other angels will be able to scent that you belong to Gabriel during the entire courtship-period. After the mating is completed the mark will show who you belong to and you can go back to using whatever artificial product you use. Gabriel will most likely prefer your natural scent, though.”

 

She sat quiet for a couple of seconds, apparently awaiting whatever questions she thought Sam might have and when he kept quiet she got up and made to leave. Sam had barely registered that she’d finished talking and got out of his own chair when she rose. He stepped towards her and engulfed her in a hug, which she returned in her own awkward way.

 

“Thank you, Hanna. It means a lot that you took the time to explain this to me. It really does. If there’s ever anything you need, please just ask, okay?” he said with a grateful smile. Hanna smiled back at him and nodded.

“You are my leader’s future mate, I am just doing my duty. And to be completely forward with you, I would rather take future orders from you than some of the angels you are up against. Remember what I said about always being watched, and good luck.”

With those words, she flew away. Most likely returning to heaven to sort out some new issue, sometimes Sam thought Cas and Gabriel just believed they ran the show up there, when in reality it was Hanna who made all the moves. He really didn’t think either of the two minded it that much though, since she was clearly doing a bang up job keeping the peace.

 

He went into the kitchen to grab himself a beer and laid down on the couch in the common-room before sending out a loud prayer to his angel:

“Gabe? You wanna come down here and explain to me why I just had to be informed of your expanding dick and apparent wing-kink from someone who isn’t you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look me up on tumblr if you love Sabriel, Richard Speight Jr, Supernatural and the occasional Sterek: PrincessOfSabriel <3


	3. My secret desires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> I'm so sorry this took so long, my muse sort of ditched me and this story so I was staring at a blank page for hours without knowing what to write.  
> I hope you enjoy what I eventually decided to do though!
> 
> I'm also going back into chapter 1 & 2 to edit a few things that I noticed just now was completely off (mostly just the grammar), just a small FYI!

Gabriel could not believe his luck. Sam had said yes to mate with him, Sam fucking Winchester wanted to be his. The angel smiled goofily at that thought. He’d always been a bit possessive and the thought of everyone knowing Sam was _his_  , it just did things to him. He’d been pretty quick about accepting the fact that he had feelings for the hunter, when you’ve lived as long as Gabriel had you kind of stop denying and start accepting things for what they were, and truth was: Gabriel, the Archangel, was in love with Sam Winchester, and there was no use in denying that fact.

His smile faded somewhat when he remembered that the mating was to be fake. That he would not, in fact, get to put his mark on Sam and call him his for all eternity.

 

 _Well, at least I’ll have a chance to maybe win him over_  , he thought mischievously.

 

After he’d left Sam to his research on angel-mating, he’d flown to his own little sanctuary; a small and uninhabited island in the middle of the caribbean sea. It had once been a stronghold for pirates in the area and the general public was mostly entirely unaware of its existence. Gabriel had found it when he searched for a place to hole down after his showdown with Lucifer had left him severely weakened and in need of a safe place to recharge. He’d spent almost a year on the island before he’d discovered its earlier usage and started to entertain himself by trying to find all the lost treasures, a year where he’d hardly been able to move much less conjure anything exciting to do.

 

Gabriel shook his head sadly at the memory of his own brother stabbing him, his hand traveling up to touch at the place in his chest where there should have been a scar. Now here was nothing but smooth skin in its place. He’d been lucky though, if he had not planned on only weaken Lucifer so that they could trap him, until they found all of the rings to throw him back into the cage, Gabriel himself would have been dead right now. Erased from existence, or wherever it was that angels went when they died. Their dad hadn’t exactly been very talkative about that little detail.

 

He sat on the beach meditating and trying, like so many times before, to get into contact with God. He needed his help with this whole mating-thing, in case Sam were to change his mind about the “Fake mate”-scenario. Just thinking about being rejected by the hunter made his heart ache, but it was still a possibility that he needed to prepare for. Because as guilty as he felt about leaving the other angels and going under ground all those centuries ago, it was not, by any means, enough for him to take one of them as his _mate_. Maybe he could convince them that him taking an angel as mate would mean that he would no longer be able to focus all of his energy on restoring heaven, because he’d have to take into account what his mate would want?

“Oh, who am I kidding? That’s not going to happen, they won’t let up on this”, with a groan he buried his head in his hands. He’d have to make a plan for what he would do if, after having looked up more about angel-mating, Sam decided to change his mind.

 

 _“_ _Gabe? You wanna come down here and explain to me why I just had to be informed of your expanding dick and apparent wing-kink from someone who isn’t you?”_ Gabriel’s head shot up as the prayer reached him. At first he was relieved to finally hear from the man, it felt like it had been days instead of hours since he left him, but as soon as the words registered with him, he felt his heart start to race in panic.

 

***

“What do you mean ‘expanding dick and wing-kink’!? Where did you read that?”

Sam smiled at the voice behind him and turned around to face a very panicked-looking archangel, which only made his smile grow wider.

_Soft spot, huh?_

 

“Hanna. The books didn’t really have that much information, so I figured I might as well ask an expert. I figured it was okay, since they’ll all know soon enough anyway. She seemed very supportive of our future union, by the way. So that’s nice, at least. You know, to have an angel besides Castiel not hating the idea of you mating with the human abomination, right?”

He hadn’t meant for that last part to slip out and as soon as he realized that he’d said it out loud he wanted to take it right back. Gabriel’s face changed from panicked to furious in 0.2 seconds and Sam wasn’t sure what it was that he was so upset about. Was it because he’d told Hanna about their mating? Or had he just remembered who Sam really was, that he was tainted and that Gabriel would most likely have to fight to convince the others that this mating would happen (even if it wasn’t _actually_  happening) whether they liked it or not? Whatever i was, the hunter obviously needed to apologize for it.

“Gabe… I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d be so upset about it, I should have asked before I told her. I just thought that….”

“Who told you that you were an abomination, Sam?” Gabriel interrupted, fury evident in his eyes, as if he was prepared to smite whoever Sam named right then and there. The hunter didn’t really understand what that had to do with anything, but he could feel that now wasn’t really the time to argue that point.

“Well, a few years ago Cas said that’s how I was viewed by the angels. You know, because of the Demon-blood and everything and I just always figured he had a point in that. The blood must have damaged the soul, right? It made me an abomination” he answered instead, trying desperately to sound nonchalant and not as broken as he felt. Then suddenly Gabriel was walking up to him, grabbing his chin to force Sam’s eyes to lock with his own, and with a voice so sincere Sam almost wanted to cry, he said:

“Sam. Your soul is not tainted. You have the brightest soul I have ever seen. It’s actually part of why I’m so comfortable around you. You kind of light up the room and it soothes my grace in this way that I can’t really explain, but have found that I really like. You are not an abomination, I don’t _ever_  want to hear you refer to yourself like that again. I’m pretty sure that if you were to ask my baby brother if he still saw you as such, he’d tell you that it was one of the many misjudgements he made in the past couple of years, only that it was one he never thought to apologize for. Please believe me when I say that it would be my honor if you’d agree to be my mate. Well, fake-mate, but still. I’d be honored if you’d stand by my side. Okay?”

 

His throat closed up and Sam could only nod as a tear slipped from his eye. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed to hear those words, and having them come from Gabriel, who had actually seen his soul, made them that much more valuable.

Gabriel wiped the tear from his cheek before enveloping the taller man in a hug so tight it should have broken his ribs, but instead somehow seemed to heal him and soothe his mind.

 

“So, are you going to explain about the wing-kink or the cock-expansion first?” he mumbled from where he rested his head on Gabriel’s head. The angel stepped away from him with flaming cheeks and Sam couldn’t help but giggle, he didn’t even know angels _could_  blush.

With a clearing of his throat, Gabriel started pacing and running his hands through his hair as he began explaining, not really wanting to look Sam in the eyes.

“Okay, first of all. It’s called ‘knotting’ and it’s meant to ensure that the omega-angel, yes there’s alpha and omega-angels and only omegas can carry an egg, no matter if they’re ‘female’ or ‘male’ as you humans like to call it, is carrying after the mating. Knotting makes the mating-bond stronger and the longer the knot holds, the stronger the bond is said to be.” He sneaked a look at Sam at that, and the hunter smiled in encouragement. He couldn’t help but wonder what the bond he and Gabriel would have created, had this been a _real_  mating, would be like.

“Second of all. The supposed ‘wing kink’ is actually a very important part of the whole mating-relationship. While it is true that my wings are incredibly sensitive, and I understand many angels find the grooming-experience arousing, the most important part is that this is a part of the angel that, at least for me, nobody else has ever or will ever be allowed to touch. They are yours, completely. I actually… well, I find it to be a very…”

“Romantic experience” Sam finished his sentence and Gabriel looked up at him with a small almost wistful smile playing on his lips. Hearing the man referring to his wings as Sam’s made his heart ache for that to be true. He studied the angel as he continue to explain about the different stories of grooming he’d heard from other angels and it amazed him how Gabriel suddenly seemed so much more open at that moment than he had only a couple of hours before, when first they had discussed this whole fake-mate thing.

 

_Damnit Gabriel, you need to stop or I’m going to be too gone on you and start begging you to take me as your real mate_

 

“So, now that you know all the gory details about the actual mating and I’m assuming Hanna told you about the ‘always being watched’ and ‘other angels might challenge you’-parts too?” At Sam’s nod, he continued his question, hands tearing nervously at his fingernails:

“Okay, so now that you know the risks and everything, you still want to go through with this? It’s completely fine if you don’t, I would understand. We’ll figure something out, it’ll all be okay” he rambled and Sam had to put a hand over his mouth to stop him from talking.

 

“Gabriel, I never had to think about it. I’d love to be your mate, I mean fake-mate, and a few distrusting and jealous angels is nothing worse than I’ve tangled with before. It’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. Just.. I have one question” he said, with a dimpled smile, his heart almost stopping at the slight slip-up, scared that Gabriel might be able to see his true desire. Gabriel stopped his fidgeting and looked up into his eyes, his head bowing in askance in a way that made him look so much like Castiel it made Sam’s smile grow wider in laughter.

“What do we do next?” he asked and Gabriel’s eyes lit up in a way that made Sam’s chest burn with longing to kiss him.

 

“Now, my dear Samish, we tell the other angels and then I’m going to show you what it’s like being courted by an archangel. Prepare to be wooed, Samoose!” he winked before grabbing the hunter’s hand and flying them both up to what Sam realized must be heaven.

  
_Okay, so no preparation for this part then,_  Sam thought a bit worriedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Please let me know in the comments!
> 
> Look me up on tumblr if you love Sabriel, Richard Speight Jr, Supernatural and the occasional Sterek/McDanno: PrincessOfSabriel <3
> 
> If you're, like me, also completely in love with the adorable ship that is Bagginshield, then I have a blog dedicated to that too: PrincessWithABow


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